The Beginning of Crow
by Clark11716
Summary: What if Batman was to have another protege while still training the first robin? Will this work out or did Batman put too much stuff on his plate for him to handle? AU and OC. (the character list says Richard G./Nightwing but because they didn't have the option it's Richard G./Robin)
1. Chapter 1: Rescue

**This is my first and I'm not good at writing so if anything is wrong, just ignore it.**

 **These chracters are not mine except for the girl which you will find out more in due time.**

 **Enjoy**

Rescue

"Sweetie, if you don't buy anything I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The waitress watches as the young girl sitting in the booth , soaking wet from the rain, scrambled through her worn out jacket pocket for change and a few crumpled up dollars. After pulling out the right amount of money and handing it to the waitress she speaks, "A hot chocolate, please."

"You got it." said the waitress as she walks away and starts to count the money that was just handed to her. Just as she walks past the front door, the little bell on it rang. She turns and smiles to see the familiar face that had just walked in. This face belonged to the man that would stop in almost every day for a slice of what he thought was the best devil's food cake in town.

"The usual Bruce?" the waitress asked.

After wiping the rain off his face, he responded. "Yes, thank you Cheryl."

"To stay or to go?"

"To go." he says with a stern tone in his voice. She walks behind the counter, pours the cup of hot chocolate for the girl still sitting at the booth then pulls out the cake along with a knife to cut it with. Bruce stands there confused when she poured the cup because he didn't order anything else. Looking around the small diner, he finally notices the girl but doesn't think anything of it until he sees the furious shaking of her body. He gives a look of concern then walks up to the counter and leans closer to Cheryl as she places his cake into the Styrofoam container and hands it to him as he hands her the money to pay for it. In a whisper, he asks "The girl over there, what do you know about her?"

"Why the sudden interest in a girl you don't know?" she whispers a question back.

"Humor me."

"Let's see. Well to start she's homeless, comes in here every so often to keep warm and occasionally to get something to eat, this is, if she can pay for it. But I'm afraid soon she won't be able to come in and just sit without buying something."

"Why is that?"

"The new management", she points to a sign in the window, "they won't let anyone stay; they have to buy something or leave. Now I have to get back to work. Have a nice night Bruce."

"You too." Respectfully, he answers back. She walks away taking the cup of hot chocolate with her. She drops it of at the booth the girl is sitting at then heads into the kitchen. He stands there for a while looking at her then reaches behind the counter and grabs two forks. Then he walks over to the booth and sits down. She instantly notices the stranger and looks up from the cup. "You look hungry, would you like some?" he says sincerely as he opens the container and holds a fork in front of her. Slowly reaching up, she takes the fork while he takes the other fork and pushes it into the dark, moist, warm cake. He lifts the fork to his mouth as she pushes her fork into it. While watching her savor the flavor, he takes another bite just before she does the same. "Bruce Wayne, by the way."

Without looking up at him, she finally speaks. "I know who you are. It's kind of hard not to. Now, what do you want?"

"I just thought you would like something to else warm but also more substantial for your stomach." She now looks up at him and sees a small smile appear. She immediately puts the fork down and stands up after sliding out of the booth.

"Thank you for the cake Mr. Wayne but I need to get going." she speaks kindly then walks away. His smile quickly disappears as he watches her step out of the building. He now looks through the window and watches her step into the pouring rain. Still watching her, she pulls her jacket close and starts making her way down the street. Once she's out of sight, he quickly closes the box with the half eaten cake and rushes out. Getting into his sports car parked just outside, he pulls a quick U-turn and drives after her. She sees the shiny red car slowly pull up in the corner of her eye causing her to stop in her tracks. She looks over just as he gets out and walks up to her. He places his jacket on her shoulders then opens the passenger door for her. She gets in. After closing the door and getting in on the driver's side, he looks at her dripping wet face and smiles gently.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome

**Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter out but I finally got it done.**

 **Once again I do not own these characters.**

Welcome

Pulling into a large garage filled with cars, the girl was intrigued by how old some of the cars were but not shocked. She knew someone with so much money would have to have a collection of vintage cars somewhere. After coming to a halt and having the door opened for her, she steps out with his jacket still on.

"This way." He said as he started to walk. She followed close behind as they went through a door leading into the main house. Now she was shocked. The high ceiling, large doors and expensive artwork overwhelmed her causing her to almost collapse at the sight of all of it. Standing behind her making sure she wouldn't fall, Bruce smiled. Alfred, his most trustworthy friend, walked out of the kitchen into the main hall where they stood and smiled to see his master come home safely during this bad weather. He was also surprised to see the guest Bruce had with him. Before he could say anything, Bruce spoke.

"Alfred this is . . ." he looks towards the girl. "I just realized I never caught your name."

Looking behind her and up into his brown eyes she says "Riley Mae but Riley is just fine."

He looks back towards the waiting butler "Alfred this is Riley. She's going to be staying with us. Riley this is . . ." Alfred cuts in. "Alfred Pennyworth madam. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiles.

"Alfred if you would, please take her to the upstairs bathroom so she can get cleaned up."

"It would be my pleasure." Leaving Bruce there, Alfred and Riley walk up the huge staircase and she follows him down a long hall to a door. He opens it to a porcelain tile bathroom with a white porcelain tub/shower.

"You'll find everything you need under the sink. I'll be right back with a towel and a change of clothes for you."

"Thank you Alfred."

"You're very welcome." He leaves. She walks in and runs her hand over the smooth marble sink. She then walks over to the porcelain tub/shower and turns the water on. After getting the shampoo, conditioner and soap from the cabinet under the sink, she sees Bruce standing in the doorway with a folded up towel in his arms with clothes lying on top. He walks in and places everything in front of her on the sink counter. He goes to leave but stops when she starts to talk.

"Just one question. Why me? There are plenty of people on the streets and you choose me."

Facing her, he answers. "Because most people on the streets are on the streets because they either got kicked out of their homes or are drug users and wasted all their money on drugs. I can already tell, you are not one of those people. There's something about you, something special, that tells me you shouldn't be looked at as one of those people."


	3. Chapter 3: A Home

**I tried making this chapter a little longer but it gave me some trouble. So even if its not as long as you wanted, I still tried.**

 **As always I do not own these characters except for Riley.**

A Home

After staring at him for a while, she finally gets the courage to speak again. "What if you're wrong? We just met today so you know nothing about me, nothing about my past."

"You're right. I know nothing about you or your past but what I do know is that you need shelter, food, and someone to look after you. I'm willing to give you all of that."

"But why?" There are tears forming in her eyes.

Placing a hand on her shoulder he answers. "You've lost your way, just like I did. I can help you if you stay. Now, you should get cleaned up. You deserve it."

Even after he leaves closing the door behind him, she stares at where he used to be standing. The tears are dripping down her face now. A small smile appears on her then she wipes the tears away and turns around to head into the shower. She takes her time cleaning up. While standing under the water, she remembers the last time she had had a proper shower. It was 4 years ago when she was only 13 and in her eighth and final foster home, the fifth one she ran away from. After that home, she left downtown Gotham and hid from foster care in uptown Gotham. They never found her because here she was, 17 and in Wayne manner of her own free will.

Smiling, she shuts off the water and gets out. The clothes Bruce had given her were big for her body but they were soft and she was comfortable in them. She cleans up putting everything back where she found it then after combing her long black hair; she goes out into the hallway. No one is in sight so she starts to wander. Every door is closed except one. Peeking in, Riley sees Alfred preparing the bed. Alfred turns around and sees her standing there. "Miss Riley, excuse me for not seeing you there."

"It's okay Alfred. I was sort of intruding."

"Nonsense, this will be your room. I hope it's not too much for you?"

Looking around the room, she sees the long expensive curtains, the expensive oak furniture and the matching expensive oak queen bed frame with what seems to be a memory foam mattress on top of the frame. He was right, it was a little much for a girl who lived on the streets for 4 years but she'd get used to it. Plus she didn't want to be rude. Looking back at him she says "No, its fine. It's better than nothing."

"Yes. Yes it is. Are you hungry Miss?" Alfred asks.

"Maybe a little."

"Well, let's head into the kitchen and see what I can put together." Both of them leave the room and she follows him back down the stairs, back through the main hall and into the kitchen which is just as spectacular as the rest of the house. Stainless steel appliances decorate the cooking and preparing area while an old table sits near the large windows that look out into the gardens that are currently lit from the lights hidden within the bushes and flowers. Drawing her attention away from the beautiful sight, she walks over to the kitchen island and has a seat on one of the stools. The marble counter tops match perfectly with the stainless steel.

Alfred walks over to the fridge and opens it. "Now let's see, How about one of my famous ham sandwiches?"

"I do like ham." Riley says.

"Then it's settled." Alfred says while taking out the proper ingredients. Now while making the sandwich, a black hair blue eyed boy walks in through another door. Alfred notices then goes back to what he was doing while saying "Master Dick, Up for a late night snack?"

Yawning Dick responds "Yeah Al."

"Would you like a sandwich as well?"

"That would be great." Climbing onto the stool next to Riley, Dick looks up at her and she looks down at him. He smiles then Alfred starts talking. "Master Dick this is Miss Riley but I assume Master Bruce has already informed you that she's going to be staying with us for now on."

"Yes he did Al." Still looking at her he introduces himself. "Richard Grayson but everyone just calls me Dick. It's a pleasure Riley and now if you don't mind I would like to take my sandwich and go back to bed. Good night." Grabbing his plate, he hops off the stool and heads back the way he came.

"Good night." says Riley quickly before he is out of range.

"Don't worry Miss Riley you'll see more of him tomorrow. Here you are." Alfred says placing a plate with a freshly made sandwich on it in front of her. She looks at it then picks it up and takes a bite. Never in her life has she ever tasted anything so good. Each bit she takes, she savors the flavor. Once done, she's stuffed even though it was a small sandwich. "Thank you Alfred. That was delicious." she says.

"You're welcome. I trust you can find your way back to your room while I clean up in here."

"Yes I can. Good night Alfred."

"Good night Miss Riley." Leaving him there she heads back to the room she found him in earlier. She closes the door then walks over to the bed and pulls down the blankets. Just by leaning on it she can tell she's going to have a peaceful night's sleep. She lies down then curls up in a ball under the blankets in the center of the bed. Her eyes close in less than 10 seconds and then she's out. Bruce quietly peeks in to check on her. Seeing her already asleep brings a smile to his face knowing that she's at peace. That she feels safe and that she's finally found a place to call home.


	4. Chapter 4: Nightmare

**Sorry it's been a while but i recently started college and haven't have the time to write. I'm still trying to make these chapters longer but i can't so you'll just have to enjoy anyway.**

 **I don't own any DC characters only my OC.**

Nightmare

 _It was raining making the air cold as ice. Riley was running through a back alley trying to lose them but no matter how fast she was running they just seemed to get closer and closer. She didn't want to go back now that she had found a place she wanted to stay at. Most importantly she didn't want to leave Bruce. She felt safe in his presence which was strange because she didn't trust anyone no matter how trusting they actually were. He was just different._

 _She felt breathing on the back of her neck causing her to turn around. They were right behind her reaching for her. "STAY AWAY!" she screamed._

 _"No Riley." they all said in unison._

 _Turning back around, she pushed her body to go as fast as it would. Tears joined the rain dripping down her face. She finally reached the end of the alley and turned the corner to find herself in the halls of the manor. She looked behind her and saw no one. She looked in front of her and still saw no one causing her to sigh in relief. Still dripping wet from the rain, she started making her way down the hall and to the main foyer. There was a draft that traveled through the air hitting her wet body making shivers shoot up her spine. While hugging herself to stay warm, she came to the large staircase that lead right to the main door which was wide open. For some reason she was curious, so she made her way down the stairs. The closer she got to the door, the more she was able to make out what was outside. Fear shot through her making her want to turn around and run back up the stairs but her legs kept walking in the direction of the door. The van parked outside was so clear now, she could read the small writing on the side of it, "Downtown Gotham Foster Care."_

 _Alfred appeared at the door pleading with them to wait for Bruce so they could talk about this but they wouldn't budge. Their decision was made and she was going back._

 _Now she was standing next to Alfred with tears pouring down her face. They finally have her in their hands and start pulling her out the door. "NO!" she screamed._

 _"Yes." they replied._

 _"NO, NO, NO! I DON'T WANT TO GO. BRUCE, BRUCE, BRUCE!"_

Screaming "Bruce" at the top of her lungs makes her wake up so startled that when she sits up quickly, the wind is knocked out of her. Not only was she screaming in her dream, she was screaming out loud in her sleep. While trying to catch her breath, Bruce walks in with a worried look. Seeing him triggers the tears and instead of being in shock, now she's crying.

Immediately after sitting down on the bed, Riley buries her face into his chest. Not knowing how to react, he just puts his hand on her back. She speaks but her voice is muffled since it's still in his chest. "Don't let them take me back to that hell hole."

Unaware of what she's taking about, he asks "Don't let who take you back?"

"Foster care."

Now he was shocked. He knew she was homeless but he didn't know she chose to be. She continues to cry so he starts moving his hand on her back up and down trying to get her to calm down.

"It's okay, I won't let them." he says to reassure her.

"Promise?" she says looking up at him.

"I promise." Even after her falling back to sleep, Bruce stays in case she was to wake from another nightmare. Good thing he asked Clark to look after Gotham tonight since he chose to not go on patrol because it was Riley's first night here. While sitting there, curiosity of her past overwhelmed him. He wanted to know more about it. Questions like 'Why did she leave?', 'How come she was in that diner instead of a foster home especially that late at night?', and 'Why hasn't foster care found her yet?' raced through his head.

He decides that tomorrow at work he would use his office computer, that's connected to the bat-computer in the bat-cave, to answer these questions so he can get a better understanding of her life before they met.


	5. Chapter 5: The Truth

**It's been a while but finally, here is chapter 5.**

 **I don't own any DC characters.**

The Truth

It had taken forever to get to Wayne Tower that morning. It was a quarter to 8 and Bruce had a meeting with the board of Wayne Enterprises exactly at 8. Normally he was never late for these type of meetings but after what happened last night with Riley, he was more distracted than normal. When he finally looked at the clock in the manor it was 7:30 and it takes over an hour to get to Wayne Tower. He was now sitting in traffic 30 minutes away with 15 minutes to get there.

While sitting there, he forgot all about the meeting and starting to think about Riley. Alfred had errands to run and Dick was at school so she was in the manor all by herself. He knew there was no way for her to find the batcave but that was exactly what he thought when he took Dick in. He had found it within the first month of being there.

He was yanked from his thoughts when a car from behind him blared its horn. He sped through the streets of Gotham in his Red Aventador and made t with 2 minutes to spare.

The meeting was the same old meeting they had at the end of every month. The shares that Wayne Enterprises held were discussed, any projects in progress were updated on its status on when it would be finished, and any issues were resolved. Bruce was distracted almost the whole time because once again Riley had made her way into his mind.

After the meeting was over, Bruce was the first one to exit the room. He needed to get to his computer and find more about the girl he had brought into his life. The first thing to do was to hack into the Gotham City Foster Care database and find Riley within their files. It took no time at all to find her. There were only 5 Riley Maes in Gotham but only 1 met the description of the one currently in the manor.

"Riley Mae Stone." he said to himself.

He now knew her full name. The picture that had popped up after clicking on her file was of a crying 4 year old with two pigtails, a few stitches across her forehead and a nasty bruise across her jaw. Just under her right eye were signs of a bruise still healing. He thought someone needed to let some anger out and used her as their punching bag.

Anger pulsed through his body at the thought that someone would do this to a child. He knew it happened to kids across the world and, as Batman, he had seen a few of these cases himself but for some strange reason this one hit him hard and deep.

He scrolled away from the picture not wanting to see it anymore and began to read the file in it's entirety.

Riley had come from an abusive family. Her father, Roger Stone, was a lower class working man who would get fired from every job he had after working at each for only 2 weeks. Her mother, Maria Stone, was a stay at home mother who would constantly drink no matter what time of day it was. Whenever Roger had lost a job, he came home drunk and take his anger out on Riley. Whenever the mother thought Riley wasn't behaving, which was never, she would beat Riley with anything she could get her hands on.

Multiple police calls had been made from their neighbors, in their apartment building, complaining about the noise from Riley crying all the time but her parents would tell the police that she was only throwing a tantrum. They were charged with public disturbance multiple times. One day when the police were called again, Roger was home after just being fired and without knowing the police were just outside the door, hit Riley causing her to fall into a table creating a loud crash. The police arrested both Roger and Maria for child endangerment and child abuse and later they were convicted to a life sentence.

Riley was then placed into foster care. She had been in 8 homes. The first one, she was there for 4 years before that house was shut down for unsafe conditions. The second one, she was there for 2 weeks and ran away because she didn't like the foster parents. The third one, she was there for 2 years before the family wanted to leave Gotham. They gave Riley back to the agency then left. The fourth home, she was there for 1 years when once again the home was shut down for unsafe conditions. Homes 5 through 8, she ran away from all of them after being at each for a little over 6 months. She was 13 when she left her eighth and final home then the file just ends with a single comment, "Location: unknown." That comment was written 4 years ago.

Bruce could understand why she doesn't want to go back into the system. Being in 8 different homes all within 9 years can be frustrating for a kid. It meant that she had to move into a house with people she knew nothing about, change schools every time, and lose friends, if she had any to begin with. Sure she did let him take her in, he being a complete stranger, but that was because he had shown kindness to a girl who was beaten for the first 4 years of her life.

Finding out this much with Dick was much easier because he was an open book and wouldn't stop telling Bruce about himself. Bruce now knew the truth about the second orphan he was letting stay in the manor but what more to this girl did he not know.


End file.
